Hacker allegedly steals AMD Navi 21 and Xbox Series X GPU test files, demands $100 million

By Asher Madan
published

This can't be good.

Xbox Series X CPU
Xbox Series X CPU (Image credit: Microsoft)

What you need to know

  • AMD is the chipmaker behind PC graphics cards and the Xbox Series X.
  • The company said that a "subset" of its test files for upcoming hardware was hacked.
  • The hacker is demanding $100 million or she'll "leak everything."
  • AMD says that the files aren't critical, and is working with the authorities.

AMD is the chip manufacturer behind the countless PC graphics processing units (GPUs) and even the 12.155 teraflops monster inside the Xbox Series X. While the company has been riding a wave of stellar publicity recently, it looks like it has quite a serious situation on its hands.

Today, Engadget reported that AMD has been hacked. The outlet said the following about what was leaked.

The chip designer has revealed that a hacker stole test files for... current and upcoming graphics hardware, some of which had been posted online before they were taken down. While AMD was shy on details, the claimed intruder told TorrentFreak that the material included source code for Navi 10... the future Navi 21 and the Arden GPU inside the Xbox Series X.

Even if a small amount of information was hacked, it could lead to other hackers exploiting vulnerabilities. It also has a lot of business ramifications since AMD is in direct competition with a couple of other companies. The story isn't over yet though. Engadget continued by saying the following.

The self-proclaimed hacker added that she wanted $100 million for the source code and threatened to 'leak everything' if there was no buyer. She reportedly found the GPU data in a 'hacked computer' in November, although AMD said it hadn't been approached until December. AMD doesn't appear to be bowing under pressure. It believes the stolen code is 'not core to the competitiveness or security' of its products, and said there was an 'ongoing criminal investigation.'

Hopefully, AMD will be able to determine what happened and recover the files. If you're worried that your Xbox Series X will suddenly stop working because it'll be hacked, you shouldn't. This fiasco mostly paints an image of poor security at AMD than anything else.

Play more games

 (opens in new tab)
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate

Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Live Gold in one

Xbox Game Pass gives you access to over a hundred games for one monthly fee. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate also adds Xbox Live Gold to the package so you can play online with your friends and access games.

Xbox Series X/S

Main

Asher Madan
Asher Madan

Asher Madan handles gaming news for Windows Central. Before joining Windows Central in 2017, Asher worked for a number of different gaming outlets. He has a background in medical science and is passionate about all forms of entertainment, cooking, and antiquing.

10 Comments
  • I wonder if she made her demands with her pinky in her mouth?
  • Lol 😂, that was funny!
  • The whole thing sounds like some villain in a movie lol!
  • If they'd asked for 1 million, may have had a chance.
  • Who does she think she's blackmailing? Intel?
  • It only paints a picture of the poor security at AMD. 😂
    Only if security had an effect on you getting hacked. 🤣
  • At the firm, not inside the chip.
  • Well this might have been worth something this info. However everyone now knows all about Series X and thr next PC AMD GPUs. So I fail to see what the info is worth now. Hahahahah
  • It isn't info. The hacker is claiming they have source code for the architecture. This could make every single AMD product vulnerable to hacking.
  • no it wouldn't. If you could understand what to do with code at this hardware level, you wouldn't need assistance from a leak.